When a migraine hits, getting through life can be near impossible. In addition to being an excruciating headache, migraines are often accompanied by reduced field of vision, dizziness, severe light sensitivity, nausea and vomiting. Take a moment to imagine having the worst migraine of your life. Now imagine that same migraine is happening while you are standing at the front of a classroom full of 5th graders, trying to teach them. That is where Jennifer found herself time and time again.
For years Jennifer has struggled with debilitating migraines. They would strike and she would end up in bed for an entire day. Over the years she saw various doctors and ended up on medication, in an effort to make it possible to live the life she dreamed of. Jennifer is extremely active. Aside from keeping up with busy 5th graders all day long she also instructs fitness classes and is very involved with her church youth group and YoungLife. She is also a big Bachelor fan and never misses watching an episode with her friends, unless a migraine strikes. She is outgoing and energetic—too busy embracing life to contend with migraines!
This past January Jennifer decided that something had to change; the frequency of her migraines had increased. She explained, “I was trying a preventative medication and I really wanted to go off that medication.” After meeting with multiple doctors, and not feeling like she was ever really heard and understood, she ended up in our Bedford Clinic meeting with Dr. LaBarbera. The collaborative aspect of Jennifer’s appointment with Dr. LaBarbera really stood out to her. She remembered, “When I first came to him and explained the issues I was having, he listened to me and developed a plan.”
Moving forward, Jennifer gets regular weekly adjustments. The results have been phenomenal. Jennifer is no longer on medication and the intensity of her headaches has diminished. She explained, “My headaches are coming less frequently and are not as severe so I am able to deal with them if they do occur. Before chiropractic treatments, a migraine meant a day in bed for me and now I am able to at least function.” For a woman with a busy life—and lots of young people that depend on her—this new normal is a welcome change.
An aspect of our patient care that is especially valuable to Jennifer is our willingness to fit in unexpected appointments—because we know migraines (and pain in general) don’t follow a polite schedule. On one such visit, Jennifer’s husband, Cory, had to drive her. The migraine was in-progress and was too intense for her to safely operate her vehicle. It allowed him the opportunity to get a first-hand look at what the treatments were going to be like, and the person responsible for administering the treatments. Jennifer recalled that appointment:
Dr. A.J. brought my husband in and showed him the x-rays and told him about our plan for treatment. When we left, my husband said, “I feel like he really wants to help you!” That was very different from the many different doctors I have seen regarding my migraines over the last several years.
We especially love how Jennifer has integrated chiropractic adjustments with her overall wellness plan. She has a daily workout, makes eating healthy a regular habit, and gets a weekly adjustment. She understands that her health can’t be isolated to just dealing with headaches, just exercise, or just a healthy diet. It is when chiropractic care is aligned with all other aspects of health that the most positive impact is felt.

It was Tuesday, March 21 and Savanah felt miserable. She was 38 weeks pregnant and experiencing severe back pain. While she knew there was a chance she was experiencing back labor—she just wasn’t quite sure. Savanah reached out to the Vinton Tuck Chiropractic Clinic 15 minutes before close and asked for an appointment. Dr. Smith gladly saw Savanah and gave her a much-needed adjustment.
The relief brought about by the adjustment was so successful that the pain disappeared and Savanah worried she wasn’t really in labor after all. However, much to Savanah’s delight she was. Sweet baby Vera was born at 1:01 am on March 22, less than 8 hours after her adjustment with Dr. Smith. We love this story and the important role chiropractic played in Savanah’s positive birthing experience and Vera’s safe arrival. She told us, “I don’t feel that my labor would have been the same had I not been adjusted that day.”
Savanah has a “hands full, heart full” kind of life. Her big and blended family has a total of 6 children, 4 of which she carried in her belly and 2 of which she carried in her heart. Another fun fact—5 of the 6 children are girls! Vera is the youngest and absolutely adored by her siblings.
Chiropractic care during pregnancy was an integral part of 3 of Savanah’s 4 birthing experiences. She first sought chiropractic care when she was “quite miserable” toward the end of her second pregnancy. It was the suggestion of her midwife, Crystal Fink, with Breath of Life Midwifery, that brought her to the Bedford Tuck Chiropractic Clinic. Over the course of her second, third, and fourth pregnancies chiropractic played a key role in Savanah’s comfort and great birthing experiences.
She has received treatments from various Tuck Chiropractic doctors in a variety of locations, based on where she was living at the time and general convenience. Regardless of the doctor or the office she had positive experiences that made her pregnancies more comfortable and promoted better health for her and her babies. In fact, Savanah described her prenatal adjustments as, “the most exciting event on my calendar during pregnancy!”
Chiropractic adjustments not only relieve back pain associated with pregnancy but as demonstrated by Savanah’s story, chiropractic treatments also relax the pelvis to promote a better labor and delivery process. For two of her pregnancies, Savanah gave birth the same day she was adjusted.
Savanah is soon to be licensed as a midwife with Breath of Life Midwifery. She explained to us, “We recommend that every pregnant woman receive chiropractic care throughout pregnancy and especially last trimester.” In addition to easing pain associated with pregnancy, she points out the labor and delivery benefits. Savanah said, “We love to send clients with malpositioned babies to receive chiropractic care because the adjustment realigns everything allowing the baby to get in a better position to make pregnancy, labor, and delivery easier for the mother, baby, and birth attendant.” We love how Savanah is an advocate for her health, the health of her children, and also the women she will soon serve as a midwife.

The first Chiropractic adjustment was given in 1895 by D.D. Palmer. Chiropractic care has been achieving tremendous results with patient care. Unfortunately, until recent years Chiropractors have only been able to theorize why so many patients improved with their care.
Initially, Chiropractors stated that when a bone of the spine or vertebrae misaligned it put abnormal amounts of pressure on the nerve that it was designed to protect. Essentially a hard bone was pinching a soft nerve. That pressure prevented the nerve from working properly and thus caused symptoms or unease in the body. The theory was later proved to be accurate when it was discovered that it only took the weight of a dime to alter the function of that nerve. Thus, when a Chiropractor would deliver an adjustment, they would reduce the pressure on the nerve and the body would begin to heal.
Next, Chiropractors theorized that spinal joints could move out of position and scar tissue would develop around the joints thereby attracting fluid (swelling) and again would pressure the nerve. This pressure would generally account for pain and immobility and is one of the main reasons why people visit a chiropractor today. When a Chiropractic adjustment was delivered it would reduce the swelling, improve the mobility of the joint and decrease the pressure on the nerve. Again, the body would begin to heal.
Today, new research demonstrates how the loss of the central nervous system’s ability to adapt to changes in your environment and recover has become the critical issue in achieving wellness and staying healthy. The role of Chiropractic in improving the function of the central nervous system is the key to the benefits of care. A series of EEG’s, which are specialized tests that measure brain waves, demonstrated how a Chiropractic adjustment can alter the nature of the brain wave and allow the nervous system to essentially “restart.” These new findings explain why Chiropractic care is so effective in helping patients that present with a range of symptoms from headaches/migraines to ear aches and indigestion.